The handling of a unmanned underwater vehicle, by a transport platform, a ship for example, has hitherto generally required the intervention of human operators. A lifting tool is generally used, of crane type, available onboard for various lifting operations. This lifting tool can be used simply to move the underwater vehicle on the platform, to deposit it on the surface of the water and to raise it back onboard from the surface.
During launching, the attaching of the vehicle to the crane and then its release are then performed manually by operators responsible for handling. A team positioned on the deck of the platform attaches the vehicle to the crane cable and a team positioned onboard a light craft, of inflatable craft type for example, releases the vehicle while the latter is floating on the surface.
Conversely, during the retrieval of the vehicle, a team positioned onboard a light craft attaches the vehicle from the surface, while a team positioned on the deck of the platform releases the vehicle.
This type of handling, in addition to the fact that it involves a large number of operators, also has the drawback that attachment and release operations must be carried out while the vehicle is on the surface and it is therefore subject to wave movement. Consequently, launching and retrieving a vehicle in heavy weather is difficult. First of all, it requires the operators to perform attachment and release operations in heavy weather, from a light craft which is ill suited to this type of weather. Then, it requires the underwater vehicle to be positioned on the surface in proximity to the platform while the movement of the waves makes it impossible to maintain a fixed position.
Consequently, in heavy weather, launching and retrieving the underwater vehicle becomes perilous both at the human level through the danger to which the operators responsible for handling are subject, and at the equipment level through the risk of damage by collision both to the transport platform and the light craft and to the underwater vehicle. Thus, the use of the underwater vehicle in all weathers is generally handled from a dedicated platform, equipped with specific means closely adapted to the vehicle concerned, enabling the vehicle to be attached and released automatically.